Undaunted Courage

By Stephen E. Ambrose

Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of Band of Brothers and D-Day, the definitive book on Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, the most momentous expedition in American history and one of the great adventure stories of all time.

In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River to the Rockies, over the mountains, down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, and back. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, made the first map of the trans-Mississippi West, provided invaluable scientific data on the flora and fauna of the Louisiana Purchase territory, and established the American claim to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Ambrose has pieced together previously unknown information about weather, terrain, and medical knowledge at the time to provide a vivid backdrop for the expedition. Lewis is supported by a rich variety of colorful characters, first of all Jefferson himself, whose interest in exploring and acquiring the American West went back thirty years. Next comes Clark, a rugged frontiersman whose love for Lewis matched Jefferson’s. There are numerous Indian chiefs, and Sacagawea, the Indian girl who accompanied the expedition, along with the French-Indian hunter Drouillard, the great naturalists of Philadelphia, the French and Spanish fur traders of St. Louis, John Quincy Adams, and many more leading political, scientific, and military figures of the turn of the century.

High adventure, high politics, suspense, drama, and diplomacy combine with high romance and personal tragedy to make this outstanding work of scholarship as readable as a novel.

Reviews

Fascinating story

4

By Kstcin

I truly enjoyed the book! I felt as if I were on the trail with the Corps of Discovery. It makes me want to visit and explores these places for myself. There are times in the book where you get bogged down in politics or science but all proves worth while in the end. I wish there was a bit more on Clark. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Undaunted courageous

5

By The 9 Lady

Excellent! Can bog down at times but well worth the read

Stirring

5

By L&C_Mike

This inspiring tale, one of the most important sagas in American history, has the power to change one's outlook. I read this years ago and still remember the feeling I had as I plowed through the pages. Ambrose is at his best with a story that was close to his heart. You will love every thrilling episode in the journey of the Corps of Discovery. It could change the way you look at the splendor of the United States, I know it changed me.